May 24, 2010 6:19 PM
Illegal aliens - how do they fare in other countries?
From my Inbox:
Let me see if I got this rightDear Editor,
If you cross the North Korean Border illegally, you get 12 years hard labor.
If you cross the Iranian border illegally, you are detained indefinitely.
If you cross the Afghan border illegally, you get shot.
If you cross the Saudi Arabian border illegally, you will be jailed.
If you cross the Chinese border illegally, you may never be heard from again.
If you cross the Venezuelan border illegally, you will be branded a spy and your fate will be sealed.
If you cross the Cuban border illegally, you will be thrown into political prison to rot.
If you cross the U.S. border illegally, you will get:1- A job
2- A drivers license
3- Social security
4 - Welfare
5- Food stamps
6- Credit cards
7- Subsidized rent or a loan to buy a house
8- Free education
9- Free health care
10- A lobbyist in Washington
11- Billions of dollars worth of public documents printed in your language
12- And the right to carry your country's flag while you protest that you don't get enough respect.I just wanted to make sure I had a firm grasp on the situation.
HT/Robin
Oh, and how about Mexico? How does Mexico - whose president gave the US a dressing down with the encouragement of the Anti-American-in-Chief - treat illegal aliens on its soil?
For answers, read Michelle Malkin's Police State: How Mexico treats illegal aliens
Posted in Obama Nation | Permalink
Comments
Aren't all those countries either communist or under some really nasty dictatoresque leadership. Do we really want to be like them? Not condoning what we do now but wasn't so sure I would like to live in those other places.
Posted by: Debbie P. | May 25, 2010 8:19 AM
I think for the person who wrote this, it's one of those "just sayin'" moments.
What really is ironic is to have the president of Mexico lambaste the US with our president's support and encouragement.
I actually am a proponent of open immigration, but I do think there should be some reciprocity: no dual citizenship and being required to learn English and support the Constitution.
Posted by: Barbara | May 25, 2010 8:30 AM
Only if you don't get caught! Our border patrols are pretty good. It's just if anyone gets by them, then they are pretty much home free here in the US. They don't even check id going over the border to Mexico or Canada from the US. It's getting back home that is time consuming with the id checking. There are illegals in Mexico and other countries too, but there aren't the amenities there that our country has. That's why so many want to come here.
Posted by: cath Young | May 25, 2010 9:41 PM
So many want to come here because they don't see vital, basic needs as amenities. They see them as human rights. If America suddenly found itself in a position to be a constant danger to my children medically and educationally and put us in fear of our lives constantly because of rampant corruption and violence, I would happily hop my family over the border to Canada to find a way to help my kids LIVE.
I understand rules should be followed but I also think there comes a time for a review of the rules and a working together of sister countries to find a way to resolve the challenges of immigration in a mutually agreeable way (fat chance with ours and Mexico's politicians).
Americans, especially Christians, weep tears and pour out prayers and adopt children and send money and missionaries all over Africa. What if Africans were the ones jumping borders to save their lives or their families' lives? Would we tell them to go back home and suck up the fact that they have nowhere to go and they have to watch their kids die or live such poor lives that find them without hope, simply because their country won't find a way to stop it from happening? Would we be so compassionate then if we had to actually help deal with the problems and challenges they face if they were crossing into America illegally? It's easy to care when the problem is so far away and you can look and feel good by sending a check.
I've become disgusted by the full on hate toward Mexicans I've seen the past few months. I'm not talking about people who want to see immigration solved in a meaningful way that benefits everyone. I'm talking about the thousands of people I've heard from in comments all over various articles from AZ's new laws to the punk teenagers looking to start a fight and wound up becoming national heroes because people were too busy telling Mexicans to go back to their "cesspool in Mexico" than to see we're raising generations of punk kids who are pulling stunts little different than those pulled years ago when a few African American kids dared to attend public school in Alabama.
There are all kinds of people from many countries here illegally but somehow the only ones we don't want here are the Mexicans. What in the world makes us think we have the right to tell only a certain population they don't deserve what the rest of us have who were born into the luxury of having our kids sleep safely in their beds, or better yet, safely in their hospital beds (where I'm writing this from right now) as they get some of the best medical care possible to keep them alive and healthy. We were born into this and instead of helping find a way for our sister country to find their way to a more healthy community in their own cities (don't you think they wouldn't rather stay where their families have been and still are) and live successful, healthy lives? Of course there are bad people that come over the border but how is it I don't see the same outrage and passion toward the cowards and monsters that were born into privilege in the USA that regularly hurt small children or women? Where's the protesting and demanding laws be changed to protect our children? We'd rather come unglued over a certain, very specific ethnicity crossing illegally to gain a chance at a better life for themselves and their kids - something we're calling an amenity?
If medical care and education and a safe environment are amenities why are we so busy sending mosquito nets to Africa. So sorry Africa. You were born in a crappy place with disease and corruption and wars that threaten your every day. Too bad so sad for you. Us Americans are gonna go about our day now and just let you rot. That would be insane but that's basically what we're telling the Mexican people with our "go back home" crap.
I don't know how as mothers we're not immediately protective of any parent's pursuit of a healthy, successful and safe life for their child.
We are greedy Americans who spend our time sending checks to poor kids in Africa half a world away and spitting on the poor kids from the country that lives next door.
How about we spend our time putting our brains together to help find a way to end this immigration nightmare instead of figuring out ways to incite the Mexican communities and families here by waving an American flag in their face when we're incensed that somewhere we saw someone proudly waving a Mexican flag? It's like telling a Yo Mama joke or punching someone in the face who gave you the finger or you thought they did. How about we protest that our government compassionately figures out a way to deal with Mexico's corruption and violence? We're too busy repeating what we've heard to understand that the "amenities" Mexicans seek here are to live in a very cramped and small space with several other families, working harder in their lives and at their jobs than we'll ever have to and risking deportation every day by sending their kids to school to have a chance at life by getting an education. They live in huts and moldy basements of houses in already poor areas and offer you any food they have as a way of generosity and those Mexican mamas would fight to the death to protect anyone's child, nevermind the color of their skin or where they came from - they know how to love and not hold back what wasn't theirs to keep.
I've seen the Mexican flags waving and the protests and understand that people think they take all the jobs and see the frustration in Americans needing to learn a new language to get along in our country where English has always been the first and only operating language. It is frustrating. But I've also seen the tears of many mothers who've come from Mexico that just want to give their kids half a chance. As a mother myself, how could I possibly deny them when our system and their system does everything it can to work against them. Am I just supposed to send them a check and pray for them like I do for the children in Africa?
I'm probably ranting here because I've been up all night and don't have the good sense to just keep my mouth shut since it's not a popular or "patriotic" American opinion, but this issue of sending Mexicans back home because they're having too good a time living off our "amenities" is just something that's too close to my heart to not ramble about. If you want to have a rational conversation about the challenges and problems with our immigration policies, fine. I won't argue with you - it's a messed up system that needs serious reform and I think good conversations from people that really care about fixing the problem for our country and helping Mexicans work in the problems on their end would be beneficial and productive. But spending our time ranting about what we should do with all these Mexicans soaking up our riches here is getting really awful and shows America's true colors.
(this was absolutely not directed toward you Barbara. I understand that your desire is to see positive steps made toward immigration reform. I just feel passionately about the issue and know you appreciate my thoughts on political issues as a contribution to the conversation.)
Posted by: Laura | May 26, 2010 5:03 AM
It's not simply a matter of mothers wanting a decent life for their children, Laura. It's all the violence and drug wars that are coming over to this country.
I can appreciate your passion for wanting to help those who are suffering but that's not who people are talking about. The reason people are going ballistic over Mexico is because of 1) the sheer numbers and 2) the home invasions, drug wars, murders and kidnappings because of it.
I also don't like it when people come over and DEMAND that we change to accommodate them. i.e. having signs and papers in both languages. Learn...the...language. My husband's family had to. My mother-in-law who couldn't drive and had to raise her son all by herself had to. You want a story about a mother who had to take care of her young son, struggling in a foreign country...talk to me.
Also, the story of how three teenagers got into trouble in high school (California) for daring to wear the American flag on their t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. How stupid is that? Not being able to wear the American flag because it is considered a Mexican-American holiday. That is just stupid!
My husband's family is from Poland. Off the boat. Had to do it legally. My sister-in-law is from South Korea. Had to do it legally.
The answer to helping these Mexican mothers is not erasing the borders and declaring a free-for-all. We need to reform immigration. And for the families that are simply trying to make an honest living? Let's get programs in place. But let's absolutely not erase the borders.
I think you're too hard on us, Laura.
Posted by: Sue from Buffalo | May 26, 2010 8:15 AM
Living in the southwest I see a lot of the problems associated with illegal aliens. I agree with Sue, the people that you are talking about Laura are not really the ones causing the problems. It's unfortunate that they may be deported back to their own country if found out, but that risk has always been there, hasn't it?
I don't know what it means exactly when people say "Immigration Reform". I haven't had the need to study the process to become an American citizen, but I personally know of people (Mexican & Phillipino specifically) that are able to do it. I realize it takes years, money, jumping through hoops, etc. Seems to me that it's a pretty serious commitment to become a legal citizen of another country so it shouldn't be too easy. Shouldn't we screen them to make sure they aren't criminals and that they can support themselves? That they will become productive citizens and not a burden to our country?
We shouldn't feel guilty for expecting immigrants to follow the laws of this country. I do. Why shouldn't they?
Posted by: April C. | May 26, 2010 5:22 PM
great blog
Posted by: john seymour | May 26, 2010 7:28 PM
